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Associate Professor and former Head of Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Adetunji Ogunyemi, speaks to DARE ADEKANMBI on the inherent weaknesses of the presidential system of government in Nigeria and the debilities which have made President Muhammadu Buhari a nepotistic leader, among other issues.
Democracy came under a severe test early in the month in the United States last month when a riotous mob loyal to the then outgoing now [former] President Donald Trump. What lessons do you think the political class in Nigeria should draw from the US incident?
There are three main lessons for the political class in Nigeria to draw from the event that happened on January 6 in the United States. The first is that acceptance of defeat or if you like, accepting the verdict at polls is part of democratic norms. It is not a sign of weakness. But accepting the decision of the electorate at the polls is a fundamental democratic norm. It may not be written down anywhere, but it is integral to democratic practice itself. A bad or sore loser is not a person that is democratic at all.